New: Adaptive Cruise control active safe 2013
#6
I have Distronics Plus on my '07 MB CL600 and the BMW equivalent of adaptive cruise control formerly in a '07 650i Vert. Both are impressive systems! Yes, unnecessary in any car but, realistically, a better alternative than 'dumb' cruise control which has been standard in Porsche sports cars for a many years now! At the very least, very useful in driving back home from a busy day at the racetrack!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Vail Valley, Colorado
#7
I have Distronics Plus on my '07 MB CL600 and the BMW equivalent of adaptive cruise control formerly in a '07 650i Vert. Both are impressive systems! Yes, unnecessary in any car but, realistically, a better alternative than 'dumb' cruise control which has been standard in Porsche sports cars for a many years now! At the very least, very useful in driving back home from a busy day at the racetrack!
Saludos,
Eduardo
Vail Valley, Colorado
Saludos,
Eduardo
Vail Valley, Colorado
There's a few things I'd change about active cruise controls:
* It should not "resume speed" when the driver takes an exit ramp or moves out from behind the car in front causing the slow-down.
* It should beep or somehow actively alert the driver when the car in front slows down below the cruise target speed.
* It should have a fuel efficiency mode with settings to allow "over speed coasting" where it goes into neutral or at least doesn't actively downshift when the car exceeds the target speed rolling downhill.
Also, the Benz system is smart enough to slow below the target speed based on steering input (a sharper turn in a country road) but it was said to have been meant to be able to also look at GPS data to "know" when the road will be hilly (anticipate an uphill) or twisty (avoid "bolting" acceleration between repeated sweeping turns) or to anticipate slower traffic ahead (no use screaming up behind congestion at 75 mph when the traffic data shows the congestion at a tool booth or bridge is 25 mph, etc.) This stuff was "envisaged" in the 90's and still hasn't arrived. Then again, we're in $100K+ cars and still squinting at tiny 5 and 7 inch LCD displays instead of having 10 or 15 inch floating OLEDs on retractable stalks with gesture interfaces and oh forget it, just nail an iPad ... correction: Nexus 7 ... to the dash or buy a Tesla S ... : )